Enable Ireland's National Assistive Technology Training Service
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Enable Ireland’s National Assistive Technology Training Service Accessible Apps, Games and Toys Welcome to Enable Ireland’s National Assistive Technology Training Service Accessible Apps, Games and Toys booklet. We have gathered together information on a range of accessible toys. It includes a variety of accessible games, apps and toys. http://www.enableireland.ie/services/assistive-technology National Assistive Technology Training Service, Enable Ireland, Sandymount Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4. Tel: 01 2184100 or visit our contact page Contents CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 3 2. APPS FOR TABLETS ............................................................................... 3 3. COMPUTER GAMES .............................................................................. 10 4. GAME CONSOLES (XBOX AND WII) ................................................... 18 5. SWITCH ADAPTED TOYS .................................................................... 19 6. VISUAL TOYS ........................................................................................ 21 7. AUDITORY ............................................................................................. 24 8. TACTILE TOYS ...................................................................................... 25 9. MUSICAL TOYS AND INSTRUMENTS ................................................ 27 10. ELECTRONIC TOYS ........................................................................... 29 11. TRADITIONAL GAMES ..................................................................... 32 12. USEFUL LINKS .................................................................................... 33 13. APPENDIX ........................................................................................... 35 National Assistive Technology Training Service December 2016 Page 2 1. Introduction Leisure and gaming can be sometimes overlooked when considering the needs of an individual. But it can be an important part of a young person’s development and help enable inclusion into society. For children the benefits of play have been shown to build up imagination, promote social skills, advance physical development and develop problem solving skills etc. Here we look how we can make leisure time and gaming more inclusive to a wide range of abilities. There are now many options for accessible toys, game consoles and switch adapted toys. The information has been prepared by Enable Ireland’s National Assistive Technology Service. The toys shown are not necessarily recommendations but simply a selection of items which may be of interest, particularly at times such as Christmas and birthdays, when presents are high on the list of priorities. 2. Apps for Tablets Apps Nowadays tablets are now an option for accessible toys or games as there are a wide range of apps some specifically designed for special needs. Accessibility settings now built into the operating systems of iOS and android now make them more accessible. Accessibility features include tools for low vision, blind users or users with motor control issues. See this YouTube video for further information. https://youtu.be/cn96NvCz5ag (iOS) https://youtu.be/f-Fgs0I2sR0 (Android) Below is just a sample of some apps for the iPad specifically designed for special needs. Many are available for both the iOS app store and the Android play store. See further list in the appendix. ChooseIt! Maker 3 The ChooseIt! Maker 3 App allows you to view your cause and effect activities, literacy activities, sound lotto and matching activities, multiple choice activities, games, and quizzes. It includes three sample activities which demonstrate some of the many ways CM3 can be used to create a variety of learning activities using symbols, pictures and sounds. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/chooseit!-maker-3/id682571868 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.inclusive.cm3 National Assistive Technology Training Service December 2016 Page 3 Hurdle Champion Choose a character and take part in a hurdle race against the computer. Works with a single switch or by touching the screen. This game provides a motivating way to develop switch and timing skills. Choose from three levels of difficulty to give you a chance to improve your performance. A clear visual clue is shown to tell you when it is time to help your runner clear the hurdles by pressing a switch or touching the screen. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hurdle-champion/id557894486 Space Shooter Stop the alien invasion with your space shooter – a real blast from the past. Features to help children with special needs, this game can be played with a tap anywhere on the screen or by using a single external switch to zap the aliens. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/space-shooter/id557890309 Train Tracker Train Tracker wherever you go! Touch and switch accessible, uses one or two switch scanning. Compatible with all currently available iPad switch interfaces. Build your track and set your train on its way. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/train-tracker/id530126114 New Age Kurling An accessible kurling game for two players, choose the direction and speed of your kurl by simply touching the screen or pressing an external switch. A game to help develop switch timing, hand eye coordination and strategy skills. Use your four kurls to go for a high score or to knock your opponent off the target. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/new-age- kurling/id530447888 Further apps HelpKidzLearn have created motivational Apps specifically for children and designed to meet a range of special educational needs including switch access for those with physical disabilities. http://www.helpkidzlearn.com/apps National Assistive Technology Training Service December 2016 Page 4 iOS Switch options Switch access is built right into the accessibility options, providing alternative access to these tablet devices. Further information: http://www.janefarrall.com/how-do-i-use-a-switch-with-an-ipad-ios-7-overview/ Switch access demonstration videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH540kuBDwo#t=5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OyUI1yH_O0#t=0 New Accessibility in iOS version 10 The latest operating systems iOS10 for the iPad/iPhone/iPod touch, has introduced some changes to the accessibility options of these devices which include Display Accommodations. This is a new section in the Accessibility Settings that brings together a few existing display options (Invert Colors, Grayscale, Reduce White Point) with a couple of new ones (Color Tint and options for three different types of color-blindness). Also the text to speech options in iOS 10 (Speak Selection and Speak Screen) will now provide sentence by sentence highlighting. A new Typing Feedback setting can help you if you find you are often entering the wrong text. You can choose to hear the last character or word you typed (or both). The entire Speech system also can take advantage of some additional high quality voices: Allison, Ava, Fred, Susan, Tom and Victoria for U.S. English. A new Pronunciation Editor can now get VoiceOver to get a little bit closer to the correct pronunciation for unusual names or words. Touch Accommodations accessibility feature on your iOS device to change the way your device's screen responds to touch. You can set your device to respond to touches only after holding your finger on the screen for a certain period of time, called the hold duration. Or to start using Ignore Repeat or Tap Assistance with Use initial or final Touch Location https://youtu.be/U3vNtjCxpcY Android Switch access is also available in the version of Android Lollipop version 5 and above. This feature is design for people with limited access to the touch screen. Using externally connected switches a user can navigate around the home screen of the tablet, open apps, and navigate between clickable objects on the screen. Within the accessibility settings you can choose for example options to use a single switch with auto scanning or two switches with step scanning. There are also new features to improve the contrast of text and options to assist people who are colour blind. National Assistive Technology Training Service December 2016 Page 5 A number of blue tooth switches and keyboards that can be used such as the Blue2 switch from AbleNet. Keys or switches can be assigned to actions such as start auto scan, click, long click, home, back etc. To get switch access started you need to first pair a Bluetooth switch or keyboard and also enable Switch Access under accessibility. A useful guide for setting up your new Android tablet is available from AbleNet. For Hands-free access for Android see http://www.atandme.com/?cat=150 Switch Interfaces Below is a sample of few switch interfaces of which there are several. Some work either iOS or Android devices or both. NEW Blue2™ Switch The NEW Blue2 Bluetooth switch provides single or dual switch access to iDevices running iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, and all switch accessible apps or software on OS X, Windows, and Android. The Blue2 connects to your device via a Bluetooth connection. http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive- Technology/Switches/Blue2-Bluetooth-Switch $179.00 APPlicator for iPad This APPlicator Switch Interface provides switch access to your iPad. The switch interface can provide access to both (switch accessible) Apps and Music in your device. Various features